Being transparent a.k.a. open & honest when it comes to blogging is absolutely imperative in order for your readers to trust you & keep coming back. Recently I was reading a post someone wrote about a protein shake diet. I commented & asked: "how did you feel after the 7 days of trying the shake?" They responded that they hadn't tried the diet. Sooo... Was it sponsored? Did they just want to give people information? Was this an affiliate link? Was this a fad they were in trying? Was it an MLM? Either way, it left me confused.
In the United States it's required by law that you disclose whenever you are being sponsored or receive money or free items in exchange for posting. If you want to read up on the .com Disclosures, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a whole guide concerning the use of endorsements & testimonials in advertising, which basically addresses endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations, celebrities, & bloggers.
Disclosing isn't shameful
Bloggers need to support themselves somehow. However, the reader needs to be able to know whether you received something for free or you were compensated in some manner to write about a specific brand. It needs to be clear from the get go. There's nothing shameful about admitting that you were paid or received the item for free. Think of it this way: a brand wants to work with YOU because your blog rocks & fits their market!Disclose before & after
All too often do we read an enormous, positive, glowing review only to see that there's an asterisk at the bottom disclosing it was a paid post. There's nothing wrong with being sponsored or receiving products, but your readers should understand that you are being clear & conspicuous. It's recommended to mention something at the beginning of the post & then once again at the end.Respect your brand
Tell readers in the beginning of the post "This is a sponsored collaboration between myself & *X Brand*" & then have your disclosure once more at the end. If you want to be taken seriously, you must be open about where you're getting your products, whether you paid for it or you got it for free. It's better to respect the integrity of your brand rather than losing readers who don't come back because they're not sure if you're a reliable source.Be transparent
If your makeup haul sounds like a giant ad with no disclosure, readers may be less inclined to stop by your blog again. Can readers trust you? Can they discern whether or not you're being truthful? If you genuinely love a brand, that's awesome. If you're writing a review because a company gave you product & you tell readers that you received money, that's awesome. If readers can't figure out whether you're being paid or got it for free, that's fishy. Be transparent.Use certain words/phrases
Using words like "I bought" vs. "I received" can help your fans easily understand how you obtained your products. In my, Bath & Body Works Wallflower Review, I use words like "I spent" & "I scored a really good deal" so you can establish I paid for them myself. In my Aroma Naturals Review, I said "I received" early on, so you can immediately figure out it's not an item I personally paid for; I also add a disclaimer at the end of the post for clarity. Best practice is to disclose at the beginning & end of your blog post. Here's an example.Questions to ask yourself:
1. Do readers understand the nature of my relationship with this brand?
2. What can I do to make my relationship more clear?
3. Do I have a disclosure included on the post?
4. Can I disclose at the beginning or in the top fold of my blog post?
5. Do I have a disclosure page so readers can learn more about the different types of for-profit options on my blog?
Readers love reviews, hauls, & knowing more about brands you enjoy. Just be truthful & your readers will love you & come back for more. Disclosing is something I've learned with time & I'm still working on perfecting it. Have you ever had/seen a questionable disclosure incident? What are your thoughts on blogger disclosures (or lack thereof)? :]
You may be interested in reading more from my Social Media Basics series:
Social Media Basics: How NOT to be a Fashion Blogger
Social Media Basics for Bloggers
DOs & DON'Ts of Leaving Blog Comments
Social Media Basics for Bloggers
DOs & DON'Ts of Leaving Blog Comments
Follow me for more social media tips & tricks of the trade:
this is a great post,
ReplyDeletei have learned a lot.
thank you for this.
:)
❤ Ms. Kei
This is a great and informative post, I think it's better to be safe than sorry. I have a disclosure at the side of my blog and if sent anything, I mark within the post an asterisk *, as well as mentioning I was given the item. Have a wonderful day, Carmen! :)
ReplyDeleteGabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
x
That's a great way to do it, Gabrielle. A side disclosure is available to see on ALL posts which is great. To top it off the asterisk & mentioning it's free is spot on. You are 100% transparent. :]
DeleteAwesome advice here and so very true!!! You can so easily discredit yourself if you aren't being transparent. That shake story!? Hilarious. And sad!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these awesome tips!
Haha, indeed. It's hard to gain trust once it's lost. Thanks for reading, Courtney. :]
DeleteLovely blog dear:)
ReplyDeleteThese are some nice tips,too!
Would You like to follow eachother via GFC or google+ ?
Let me know on my blog so I can follow back. ;)
http://nessielicious.blogspot.com
I completely agree with you. Great post and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteEye See Euphoria | http://eyeseeeuphoria.com/post/sweet-wilson
Good tips :)
ReplyDeletehttp://shareasecretmag.com/
xoxo
Great post! I hate when I can't tell if a post is sponsored or not. I review both product I love and just want to talk about AND sponsored posts and I try to make it abundantly clear which is which. It also makes it hard to buy product on Amazon when every single 5 star rating is a "received free product" post.. ugh! - www.domesticgeekgirl.com
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely something to think about, Gingi. We're out here buying items & someone may have given it 5/5 for the wrong reasons! :]
DeleteCouldn't agree more with everything you have said! It does seem to be quite a controversial topic within the community though!
ReplyDeleteHayley-Eszti | www.hayleyeszti.com
But it shouldn't be! :]
DeleteTotally agree! It gets a little confusing when the person isn't really telling the truth it is great to let the reader know :)
ReplyDeletehttp://floralsandsmiles.blogspot.ca/
twitter.com/floralandsmies
I totally agree! There's nothing shameful in admitting it's a sponsored post but there's something decidedly off when you don't admit it.
ReplyDeletebombshell-to-be.blogspot.com
xx
Great post; I don't understand why it is so challenging for bloggers to admit that they were given products to review... Transparency is best, just as it would be in real life.
ReplyDeletewww.LUXESSED.com
Glad you brought up real life. My friends know when I received items too, especially if they compliment something. :]
DeleteYes!!! Bloggers who receive items for review should definitely be transparent about it. Love this post, Carmen!
ReplyDelete<3 Daisy
Simplicity Relished
Thanks for stopping by Daisy. Hope all is well. :]
DeleteI totally agree with your post anf the points of view you shared with us! Disclosing definitely isn't shameful unless you are advertising the brand for the wrong reasons. I disclose everything in the beginning of my blog post, usually I will say that the item X was sent to my by representatives of X brand and I always disclose everything at the end of the blog post with c/o.
ReplyDeleteEvery blogger should read this post and understand that disclosing items actually welcome rather than hiding it!
www.callmemaddie.com
Awesome job, Maddie! Especially great because I'm not entirely sure if you even need to disclose in Latvia. Thanks for looking out for the rest of us. :]
DeleteThere have been lots of chats on Twitter about this recently. I haven't been involved in them as I was busy but read all the comments afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine writing about something that I hadn't tried, it just doesn't make any sense. I think more laws will come into place over this year and next regarding disclosure on posts and youtube videos
Reinventing Neesha ♥
Laws occur for a reason. Clearly people were being duped & it needed to become a law. Dang! :P
DeleteThis is a such a great post...I totally agree with everything you said! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://ourruins.com
I agree, Carmen. I have previously seen a few blogs which did the same, the swatches and pictures of the products are from the company websites and not their own. There was no disclosure, nothing and I felt sceptical about the whole thing and in the end I just stop following them.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to be completely honest, the readers are not a bunch of fools.
Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
Oh yeah. Those are terrible. It's like anybody can take photos from a site & write a couple words. >.<
DeleteThis is so true, Carmen! Great points. I actually didn't know that it was mandated by law in the US - I'll have to check what the case is for Canada. Either way though, if/when the time comes for me to be doing sponsored posts, I plan on disclosing it and being fully transparent.
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out saying "I bought" vs "I received". Especially for beauty and fashion bloggers, as a reader, I'm often wondering "How the heck do you afford that??!" And then I realized it's because they're being sent that stuff for free. Which is great for them - they deserve it! But it makes me feel like inadequate and like I'm not keeping up, if that makes sense.
x Kathryn
Through the Thicket
Yeah, that's definitely something you should look up. You don't want to be breaking such an easy law to fix! Like you said "and then I realize." It's not until you're done reading that you're like..."oh so you didn't buy that." Don't worry, Kathyrn. Keep working at it. :D!!!
DeleteThese are all really great points, Carmen! I definitely need to read more about disclosure requirements. When you note that the post is sponsored, does it mean that they're literally paying you X amount to write the post? What if they just give you an item to wear and write about, can you just note it as "c/o" or would that still be considered a sponsored post? Would love to get your thoughts around this!
ReplyDeleteTina
www.justatinabit.com
Hi Tina! Yes, sponsored post is normally a post in which you get paid some amount of money to write. If a brand gives you product, that's a review (with no paid income), but you do need to disclose that the brand gave it to you for free. Writing "c/o" is not super transparent, unless you have a disclosure somewhere on your blog (be it in the end, a particular "Disclosure" tab/page, or somewhere in the side bar. As Gabrielle mentioned above: "I have a disclosure at the side of my blog and if sent anything, I mark within the post an asterisk *, as well as mentioning I was given the item. "
DeleteHope this helps. :]
Thanks so much for responding and answering my question, Carmen!! This was very helpful :)
DeleteThis was an excellent post. I have never been asked by a company to talk about their product or probably will I ever be. However, if one day I am this post certainly was very useful :)
ReplyDeleteAnother Teen On The Web
You never know, you might. :D
DeleteGreat post. Every time someone will ask me to blog their products I review it first before I accept it. I want to make sure that I'm reviewing a great and useful one :)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day! :)
xoxo,
SHAIRA
http://www.missdream-girl.blogspot.com
Definitely. It's important to stick to your guns & things you genuinely enjoy. ;]
DeleteWonderful advice! The last tip is very important!
ReplyDeleteAmazing and really helpful tips! =)
ReplyDeleteNEW POST on http://whattostyle.blogspot.com/
xoxo,
Jessica
Love these tips! I agree-- it's extremely important to be open and honest with readers. There's nothing I hate more than people who lie or hide the fact that they are working with companies.
ReplyDeleteConnie | Sponsored by Coffee | Bloglovin’
Hahaha whats up with not trying the shake and writing about it?! This is so great and so helpful! Bloggers should never have shame disclosing the post is sponsored! We work hard and deserve it!
ReplyDelete<3 Shannon
Upbeat Soles
Really solid advice. I don't understand what so many bloggers are afraid of. Losing readers? I can't imagine too many people walking away from their favorite blogs just because the author admits they make a living from what they love.
ReplyDeleteV
Life+1
Lovely post. Sometimes when a post is sponsored, I always wonder if people actually like it or not! I wonder if people have actually posted something they truly like. I will turn down offers for certain things if I am not sure about the product or site I would have to review. I will not take every free offer. These are such great points you addressed!
ReplyDeleteDenise
www.fashionloveletters.com
This is a great post, I agree that it is really important to be truthful to your readers! I feel like readers can tell when something is true to you or not!
ReplyDeletexxx
Camilla
http://avenuecamilla.com
I totally agree with you, dear, I also do sponsored posts sometimes, but I don't accept all of the propositions, I'll receive. Firstly, I check if this webstore suits to my blog and suits to me. And I also think that honesty to readers is the most important thing in writing sponsoring posts.
ReplyDeletehttp://crafty-zone.blogspot.com/
This was a really great post and I agree with everything written here. I've come across a few posts from bloggers/vloggers that are clearly ads. It takes away from the experience but I also understand that they have to make a living. Reading the rest of your series that you linked now.
ReplyDeleteAshley Udoh
Great post Carmen :) I think it is so important to be open & honest in the blogging world. Like you say, if it looks like someone is trying to hide something or is promoting something they clearly haven't tried, it makes you doubt the validity of that blogger xx
ReplyDeleteBrenda BusyBee | Bella & Bear Pro Makeup Brush Set Giveaway
I really enjoyed reading this article! I think it's very important for bloggers to be honest when they receive a free item or write a sponsored post. As you said, bloggers need to support themselves somehow, so there's no need to be sneaky.
ReplyDelete-Helen
Sweet Helen Grace